Shifters

My name is Lynn Keeg and I work at Aces; it’s a local nightclub on the bad side of town, if there really is a ‘bad side of town’. To me it’s all the same. Neither side of this town, or any other for that fact, has shown me any love. Just betrayal and pain. I live with my roommate and ‘sister’, Claire. Her family took me in when mine abandoned me at six. Her parents were well-off before they passed away seven years ago, leaving all their possessions to her.

We live in a three-story mini mansion, several blocks away from Aces. The third floor doesn’t even get used but she refuses to buy a smaller house and sell this one. Which I don’t understand, there are only three of us living here; half the time it’s only her and I. If she lived here as a child, it would make more sense. But she didn’t. She bought it barely two and a half years ago, for just her and me. Her newest boyfriend didn’t move in until a year ago, and as I said before, he’s not here half the time.

Looking at the clock resting on my bedside table, I sighed deeply. I had an hour and a half to get to work. Changing into my ‘fancy’ black pants and white, long sleeve shirt, I grabbed my blue Aces vest, before leaving my room and heading downstairs. My room was the first door on the right on the second floor when you turned left off the stairs. I wanted as much distance as I could get with the way Claire had been with her dealings with men, free and easy.

It’s horrible for me to say that, she is a very nice girl. Just has never been able to keep the same guy for more than a couple weeks. Until she met her new boyfriend, she’s kept him for almost two years. I don’t know what is different about him compared to the others she has been with; perhaps she just has finally decided to settle down. I don’t know and right now I don’t have the time to ponder it. I have to concentrate more on my routine tonight.

I’m a singer most nights at Aces, a dancer the rest. Not a striper, or the likes, they have dance tournaments sometimes at the club. Formal mostly with partners. I’m a solo dancer and do more belly dancing than anything else. They have been trying to get me to do ballroom dancing with their reigning jock; I guess you could call him, Cliff. I won’t do it though, and they will never force me to either. I don’t trust men at all, nor will I let them touch or even come near me. As I said before, I’ve been betrayed and hurt too much. Ex’s and strangers have beat, raped, and drowned me too many times for me to trust any man anymore.

It makes things hard on me, since I do work at a nightclub, but that’s why I am a singer mostly. Get up on stage, do your routine, get off stage and voila you don’t have to deal with anyone. Luckily my boss is female and understands my phobia I guess it can be called. She tries to keep people away from me, but its hard since all of the bouncers at the club are male and she sends them to guard me while I’m inside the club as if I’m a rare, porcelain doll that, with the slightest touch, will shatter into a million shards. Sad thing is she’s absolutely right. I don’t think I could handle one more betrayal.

I stop at the entrance to the club and stare up at the sign with four aces on it. Each one was of a different suit in a deck of cards. I guess the boss lady, as we workers called Marie, was fond of poker before she made the club. A shiver ran down my spine, causing me to lower my gaze and look around. There were a lot of bums and wannabe gangsters that hung around Aces. They made me very uneasy. It is the main reason I’m in the process of getting a license and permit to open a club of my own. Well them and because I got tired of the boss lady. Because of my phobia, she is way too strict on me and forces me to do more than my fair share of work in the back. Sighing, I began pulling on my vest, as I entered Aces.

Claire stretched out in bed, before rolling over onto her opposite side. She sighed deeply as her hand found only sheets and nothing else. Even with what he is John could stay longer with her, instead of always running off before mid-afternoon. Her brow creased as her hand ran over the pillow beside her and found a piece of paper on it. Grabbing it, she sat up in bed before reading it. She sighed again and looked over at the clock. It was four in the afternoon. John was bringing company with him when he returned at six. And Lynn didn’t get off work till eight; she’d have no time to warn her about the man John was bringing with him.

Claire quickly got out of bed and dressed before reading the note again. It was going to be another of John’s species but he didn’t say what the man’s name was. She just hoped he wasn’t bringing him home as part of the plan he had wanted to put into action since he found out Lynn was single. Claire told him Lynn didn’t trust men but never told him way. In return, he had told her he would find a way to get Lynn to be trusting again, though he never said how or when he would try.

Claire sighed again as she put the note in her dresser drawer. She then left her room and headed downstairs. If they were having company then she needed to clean the house some. Make it presentable incase this man John was bringing home wanted to see the woman he had chosen as his mate and how she lived. They seemed quite strict about who they were allowed to choose as mates. It made her wonder why John ever chose her, considering she could never keep a man longer than a couple days. They always ran when they realized how she truly was and what she wanted in life.

Laborc stopped at a railing and looked out over their underground Community. “John, I don’t want to do this. I’ve got work to do around here.”

“What work? You were told to take some time off as of yesterday. Besides I thought you liked a challenge?”

He sighed deeply; John had to be up to something. He was never persistent without a reason. “A normal human does not spark my interests, and it’s very doubtful that someone you found will be a challenge for me.”

John stepped up beside him with a wry smile. “I never said the girl was normal. Besides, you won’t be able to charm her as easily as you have all the rest who vied for your attentions.”

Laborc snorted. “Charm them? I’ve never had to charm a woman; in fact I have to beat them off with a stick. Besides, you said she needed help not that you were trying to introduce me to a potential mate. If you are in fact trying that, I am not going to this ‘dinner meeting’ you’ve set up tonight.” Laborc pushed himself away from the railing and began heading down the slight slope into the Community.

Within seconds, John was back beside him. “That’s not what my plan is, Laborc. Claire would have my head for sure if I tried something like that.”

“Claire is the girl’s sister?”

“Yes, though not by blood. Claire’s parents adopted her so to say.”

“What happened to her own family?”

“Claire’s never said.”

“And you’ve never asked her yourself?”

John shrugged. “Easier said than done.”

“What do you mean?”

“As I have said, she doesn’t trust men. Every time I try to approach her, Claire asks if I’ll help her with something, and she disappears on me.”

Laborc stopped and his brow creased. “She won’t even talk with you?”

“Very seldom and never for long.”

“Sounds like there’s more to it than her just not trusting men.”

John shrugged again. “Well you’ve always said you enjoy challenges. You’ll meet your hardest one tonight.”

‘I can hardly wait.’ Laborc mumbled to himself as they finished the walk down to the Community.